Starting apparatus for explosive-engines.



l. AI ALLISON. STARTING APPARATUS FOR EXPLOSTVE ENGINES. APPLICATION FILED IEB. I5, 1912A Ll 5 9 51 Pimm@ Aug, 1915.

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JAMES A. ALLISON, F INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO THE PREST-O-LITE COMPANY, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

STARTING APPARATUS FOR EXPLOSIVE-ENGINES.

v Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedAug. 24, 1915.

Application filed February 16, 1912. Serial No. 678,001.

T 0 all whom it 'may 0071. com

Be it known that I, JAMES A. ALLIsorI,

-a citizen of the United States, residing at ..ing Apparatus for Explosive-Engines, of`

which the following is a specification.

My said invention consists in an improved construction and arrangement of parts of devices for starting explosive engines, particularly automobile engines, and it relates especially to that class of starters which employs apower'medium suoli as an explosive gas, all as will be hereinafter more fully`described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are made a art hereof and on which similar reference c aracters indicate similar parts, Figure 1 is a side view of the front end of an automobile illustrating my improved engine starting means applied thereto, Fig. 2 a detail horizontal section through the dash ofthe vehicle showing those partsl of the apparatus which are attached to said dash in elevation, Fig. 3 av central section through the valve casing on the dotted line 3-3 in Fig. 2, Fig. 4 a perspective view of the inner end of the valve stem and parts adjacent thereto, Fig. 5 a detail edge view of the presslre regulating valve on the acetylene tank, Fig. 6 a view showing a modified form..

In said drawing the portions marked A represent the automobile frame, B the en- 'gine and C the acetylene or power medium supply tank, which parts may be of any common or approved construction. The engine shown is of the four cylinder type and the upper ends of the cylindersare lshown in lelevation to. illustrate the intake inanifold b and the connection therewith,which forms a feature of my said invention. The power medium "tank shown is of the type known as the Prest'()-Lite7 tank, butpmay be any approved type and preferably has an vautomatic ressure regulator 0` attached.' to the discharge end thereof. .y

The valve casing--10 ismounted on the dash-board under, the hood, as shown, with the valve stem 11 extending through. an aperture in said dash. Said aperture is covered by a face-plate 12 on the front face-of. said dash, the securing flange of the valve casing and said face-plate being connected through said dash by the same securing bolts 13. Said valve casing is formed with branches leading from opposite sides thereof to one of which a. pipe 14C is connected, which leads from the low pressure side of the pressure regulator, and the other of which is connected by a pipe 15 to the intake' manifold of the engine. The valve 16 is of a common cylindrical form, somewhat ta.- pered, and mountedin the valve casing, as shown, and is formed with a straight port leading entirely through the same, which when 1n proper position is adapted to register with the branches leading from each side of the valve casing to establish a free passage-way therethrough. The inner end of said stem has an operating lever 17 mounted thereon and stop pins- 18 and 19 are provided on the face-plate 12 for limiting the movement of said lever, in either direction, at a point which will bring the port in the valve to register with the openings in the casing and establish cbmmunication through said casing from pipe 14 to pipe 15. When said lever is turned downwardly, as shown in F ig. 3, the passage-way through said valve-casing will be closed and whenl it is turned horizontally, as shown in Fig. said passage-way will be opened. O n the inner end of said valve stem is mounted an arm 20 which turns therewith and is electrically connected by a wire 21 in the magneto circuit (not illustrated). A contact plate 22 is mounted on a ring 23, of insulating material mounted onthe valve casing around the inner end of the valve stem and a contact spring 24 carried by the arm 20- is adapted to contact therewith when'operating lever 17 is in one of its horizontal positions.

The ,operation is as follows: The valve is normally closed when the engine is running. iVhen it is desired to stop the engine the operator turns the' operating lever to the position shown in Fig. 2 which brings contact spring 24: in contactwvith plate 22, which operatcsnto ground the magneto circuit through the Valve to the machine frame, which stops the sparking and" the engine. At the same time communication is estabmeans of the ordinary switch, which will ignite the explosive and cause an explosion 1n the appropriate cylinder and start the' engine. Should the vstart securedv by the stored charge of acetylene, or other gas employed, be insuflicient to continue the engine in motion until the carbureter is Working' properly lthe operator turns the handle 17 to vthe other horizontal position and the gas will feed through pipes 14 and15 to the intake manifold and the engine be permitted to run on such gas until thearbureter is working properly when handle 17 is turned -lo a vertical position closing thev passage Wa i lit will be noticed that handle 17 is heavy at its outerend and its `normal pos hanging vertically from the valvestem, thus providing against accidental opening of the valve. By means of the apparatus thus described the' engine is automatically charged with an explosive gas during the stopping strokes of its pistons land is always ready for starting with the-ordinary spark. If the' engine should stand dead until the vexplosive gas vcharge is wasted through leakage, or from any other cause, it is only,necessary to turn the i'alve so that the passage-Way will open directly from thegas tank to the engine when said gas will flow into the intake manifold in su'flicient quantities to ignite and sta rt the engine. The grounding, or short ein-uiting, contact between the magneto circuit and the valve mechanism will only be made at one horizontal position of said valve and this is a positionto which said valve is turned when the engine is to he stopped. lVhenever the explosive gas is desired in the enginey while the engine is running, oran additiona l supply while starting, said valve is tui-ned in the other direction'so that the passage is opened without interfering in an \v way with the magneto circuit. The stop pins 1H and lll serve to limit the niovcment in each direction. Pin lf) serves to limit its movement when turned to open the way and ground or short circuit the niagiieio, :rnd pin 1S serves to limit said movement when moving the other way to open.

the wav without; grounding the magneto.

ln. Fig. i the pipe leading from thc explosive gas supply tank to .the engine is shown as,connectedldirectly to the supply end of the tank, the pressure regulator-shown in the preferred form being omitted. This form may-lie used when preferred or found advantageous. It is understood, of course, that the usual regulating means within the tank may he found all tliatisnecessary forthe purposes of this invention under. some conditions.

.llaving thus fully described my said inventioii, what I claim as-new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: y i

1. An apparatus for starting explosive engines comprising an explosive medium supply, a pipe leading from said supply to the.,I

engine, a valve interposed in said pipe, means for short circuiting the magneto Connected with said valve and operated from a single operating means, and means-for supplying the'explosi've medium to the cylinders without operating said short ircuitingv means, substantially as set, forth. y.

` 2.V An apparatus for starting explosive engines comprising'an explosive gas supply, a. pipe leading from said supply to the engine, a controlling valve in -said pipe formed to opena commi'inication through said `pipe at different positions of said valve, and-means for 'short ei'rcuiting the .magneto arranged to'` be operatively Iconnected `,only when said valve is ina" single oneof said'openl` posi-' tions, substantiallyjas rset forth.v y

' A starting apparatiisfor explosive engines comprising an explosive gas supply, a

roo

pipe leading` therefrom, to the engine, an

valve interposed in said pipe formedito havel different open positions, a connection fbetween said valveand the magneto circuit, a short circuiting'ineans, anda contact armr adapted to he operated to Contact with said short circuiting means When said valve is swung to only one open position,substantially as set forth. f i

4. A starting apparatus for explosive engines comprising an 'acetylene storage tank, a pressure regi'ilator thereon, a pipe leading from said pressure regulator to the engine, a valve interposed in saidipipe attached t0 control the passage therethrough and having different open positions, and short cirn cuiting means for tl'ic magneto `circuit connected to he operated by said valve-inibut one of saidopen positions, suhstantiallyllas set forth. l ,1

An apparatus for starting explosive engines comprising an acetylene storage tank, i a pipe leading therefrom to thepengine, a. valve interposed in said pipe for controlling the passage-Way tliei'eiii and formed to have dill'erent open positions, a contact plate/carried on the valve casing and connected with the n'iaehine frame, and an arm carried on 4 the valve stein and electrically connected in the magneto circuit, said plate and arm hevopen positions, and a handle for operating said valve arranged with a Weighted end to hang downwardly during the closed position of said valve, substantially as set forth.

7. An apparatus for starting explosive engines comprising an explosive gas supply, a'pipe leading therefrom to the engine, a

valve interposed in said pipe formedto havedi'erent open positions, means for o erating said valve, an arm on the stem o said valve vconnected in 'the magneto circuit, a. plate adjacent thereto connected wlth :the machine frame, and means for fornung a Contactv between saidarin and s when the valve is in but one of sitions, substantially as set fo 8. A starting apparatus for asplosive gines comprising an explosive medium snp 125 ply, a pipe leading therefrom to the engine, a valve in said pipe with different open positions, and means for grounding or short cirouiting .the magneto arranged to be op eratively connected when said valve is in but one of its open positions, substantialiy vas set forth.

In witness whereof, have hereunto set my hand and seal at indiana-polis, indiana this 12th day of February, A. D. ninete hundred and twelve.

JAMES A.. ALLSN. {nsf} Witnesses:

MORRIS Mosnowrrz, FRANK STREET. 

